59 m. ago ‘You are living with a difficult person who is waiting to die’: my harrowing time as Patricia Highsmith’s assistant

I worked for the author of The Talented Mr Ripley in her final months. She was so mean and secretive, I imagined she wanted to kill meI first read Patricia Highsmith’s novels in the autumn of 1994. I was 20 and living in a room in her house in Tegna, Switzerland, that was plastered with bookshelves full of her first editions, organised in chronological order. Pat was 73 and knew she was about to die; she had been, it was rumoured, diagnosed with cancer or some other terminal disease. I was trapped in her world with her, trembling. She had weeks left to live and had spent so much time writing about how to get away with murder. I fantasised that she might try to kill me.The story of how I ended up in that house begins a few months earlier, in Zurich, with me on a blue tram, on my way to dinner at the house of Anna and Daniel Keel, a couple I’d grown friendly with. Anna was a brilliant painter for whom I had been modelling since I was 17. Her studio smelled like oil paint, instant coff...

Events

7 h. ago Roofer, 33, may have just 2 months left to live after noticing back pain

Stephen Lea, 33, from Bootle, Merseyside, started to experience back pain last year and was given a devastating diagnosis after he went in for an MRI scan to find out the cause

Politics

42 h. ago ITV This Morning star says 'we nearly lost the whole crew' after co

This Morning viewers were left concerned for actress Natalie Anderson as she presented a segment live from a boat in Mykonos, with Cat Deeley and Ben Shephard also fearing for the crew

Politics

62 h. ago I live on a cruise 24/7... it's way cheaper than living on land: Meet the retired teacher, 77, who became a full time 'ocean person'

A retired teacher has shared why she decided to live full time on a cruise ship and people might be shocked by how affordable the lifestyle can be.

Society

4 d. ago 'Oasis can be incredible or terrible live but in Cardiff I was left in no doubt'

EXCLUSIVE: Oasis gigs this century lurched from incredible to terrible as Liam and Noel Gallagher broke up Britain's biggest band, but at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff our man's verdict was clear

Events

4 d. ago Oasis fans fume at Liam Gallagher's 'distasteful' joke about high ticket prices

Gallagher brothers fans are upset with Liam after he made a controversial comment about the Oasis tour's dynamic ticket prices at a live show, which left many of those in the audience feeling sour

Sport

5 d. ago Celebrity Gogglebox's Sara Cox left 'fuming' on BBC Radio 2 as 'fears' were realised

Sara Cox, who currently stars in Celebrity Gogglebox, recounted a moment when she was left "fuming" while live on air for BBC Radio 2, after starting to feel a "bit weird"

Politics

5 d. ago Oasis Live '25 tour official merchandise prices unveiled as fans left fuming

An official merchandise stand has opened in Cardiff, selling exclusive Adidas Cardiff items, a track jacket worth £90 and some items as low as £10

Society

6 d. ago Inside the mystery of shocking new images of Jeffrey Epstein victim Virginia Giuffre, battered and bruised just weeks before she claimed to have four days to live

Photographs of a bruised Giuffre are purported to have been taken in January, two months before she claimed on social media a car accident had left her with 'four days to live'.

Events

7 d. ago Diddy's six words to his mother as he left court on eve of verdict: Live updates

The 55-year-old rapper faces life in prison if convicted of the top charge - which the jury is yet to reach a verdict on.

Events

1 week ago Lorraine Kelly praised as she removes hair extension live on ITV show

Lorraine Kelly left her fans in awe as she removed a hair extension live on air this morning, making a confession about her own locks in the process.

Society

2 w. ago BBC drops another Wynne Evans project as it cuts ties after Strictly drama

Former Strictly Come Dancing star Wynne Evans left the live tour and his radio show earlier this year, and the BBC has now confirmed it has 'no plans' to renew a travel show he did

Events

2 w. ago BBC Breakfast halts live segment over 'distressing' image as reporter left visibly concerned

BBC Breakfast hosts Naga Munchetty and Charlie Stayt were forced to pull the live segment off air

Politics

2 w. ago 'My mum left us to live in Kenyan hut with toyboy Masai warrior

Cheryl Thomasgood left behind her two sons and second husband in the Isle of Wight for a new way of life in Kenya after falling in love with warrior Daniel Lekimencho - however she didn't get her happily ever after

Events

2 w. ago James Whale reveals he has just weeks left to live in tragic health update as he faces the final stages of his terminal cancer battle

The broadcaster, 73, is battling stage four kidney cancer that has spread to his spine, brain and lungs .

Events

2 w. ago James Whale 'cries every day' amid 'last weeks of life' with terminal cancer

Broadcaster James Whale has said he has just 'weeks' left to live as he continues to battle terminal cancer and has admitted that he cries every day

Politics

2 w. ago This Morning star suffers painful injury while live on ITV show

This Morning star Kate Lawler was left red-faced after falling off a hammock during a live TV segment before admitting she had 'really hurt' her ankle

Events

2 w. ago SNP urges UK Government to speed up smart meter roll out after RTS switch

EXCLUSIVE: Nationalist MP Graham Leadbitter has called for "a cast iron guarantee to Scottish communities that never again will they be left to live in fear of their hot water supply being cut-off and their electricity supply disrupted."

Politics

2 w. ago Lithuanian hunters refuse to kill bear that ambled around capital for two days

Government issued permit to shoot young female who entered Vilnius, despite only small number left in Baltic countryEurope live – latest updatesA young female bear caused a stir after wandering out of the forest and into the leafy suburbs of the Lithuanian capital.For two days, the brown bear ambled through the neighbourhoods of Vilnius, trotted across highways and explored backyards – all while being chased by onlookers with smartphones and, eventually, drones. Continue reading...

Events

3 w. ago Simple blood test could reveal your body's REAL age and how long you have left to live

Yet the researchers say a simple saliva or blood test could measure how well you're ageing by monitoring DNA methylation patterns.

Events